Texarkana celebrates Cultural District honor

More than 300 locals pose for a group photo Tuesday morning on the state line of Texas and Arkansas at the Downtown Post Office during the ceremony for Texarkana being designated a Cultural District by the Texas Commission on the Arts.
More than 300 locals pose for a group photo Tuesday morning on the state line of Texas and Arkansas at the Downtown Post Office during the ceremony for Texarkana being designated a Cultural District by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Hundreds gathered at a ceremony Tuesday morning to celebrate a milestone for downtown Texarkana and pose for a photo unique in city history.

 

To celebrate Texarkana, Texas' new Cultural District designation, the crowd came together in front of the downtown post office and courthouse, under Texas and Arkansas flags suspended from a wire stretched between two extended fire truck ladders.

Groups from local high schools and colleges, officers from both Texarkanas' police and fire departments, and board members of Texarkana Arts and Historic District member organizations attended, as did elected city officials and celebrated Texarkana native Ross Perot.

Local and state officials congratulated Texas-side leaders for achieving Cultural District status, touted the benefits of supporting the arts and praised cooperation between the two Texarkanas. Then two drone aircraft equipped with cameras hovered above the audience and took what organizers called the "largest pic in two states ever."

Ina McDowell, executive director of Main Street Texarkana, began the ceremony, calling the Cultural District "another milestone in the progress and revitalization of our downtown community" and thanking the TAHD steering committee for its work applying for the designation.

Gary Gibbs, executive director of Texas Commission on the Arts, spoke on the benefits of community investment in the arts, including economic development, improved quality of life and better education. He said the Cultural District application process is "difficult and thorough."

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/BENJAMIN KRAIN 8/15/2013 Anna Hicks, left, Renee Burks, and Dennis McKelvey join other Little Rock Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors at Esse Purse Museum during a grand opening celebration Thursday. The museum on S. Main St. in Little Rock features art installations and exhibits with more than 300 handbags and their contents over the last century.

"But you were successful. A panel of individuals from throughout the state reviewed those applications, adjudicated them and then determined that Texarkana was ready and able to be designated as a Cultural District."

The leadership of Texas-side elected officials, a promotional video and a well-defined planning process including clear goals for downtown made Texarkana's application stand out, Gibbs said.

Texas-side Mayor Bob Bruggeman and Arkansas-side Mayor Ruth Penney-Bell read a joint proclamation praising the Cultural District, and Penney-Bell took the opportunity to note how well the two cities were cooperating.

"I am so pleased that both of our cities are working together beautifully. This man (Bruggeman) and I are practically joined at the hip," she said.

Texas House Rep. Gary VanDeaver concluded the ceremony by citing three reasons the designation is "a big deal": the arts improve well-being, have a significant economic effect and bring communities together.

"It was an awesome outpouring from both communities, the community," he said after the event.

Perot too was impressed by the turnout. "Great. Great crowd. Couldn't have been a nicer ceremony," he said.

Last month, Texas Commission on the Arts named TAHD as one of 35 Texas Cultural Districts, the first in the northeast region of the state. The Texas Cultural District designation makes TAHD eligible for a share of $2.5 million per year in Cultural District Project grants.

"Cultural districts are special zones that harness the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community revitalization. These districts can become focal points for generating businesses, attracting tourists, stimulating cultural development and fostering civic pride," according to the commission's website.

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